Means to straighten shoe soles



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MEANS TO STRAIGHTEN SHOE SOLES Filed Sept. 21, 1948 INVENTOR.

Patented June 14, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS T STRAIGHTEN SHOE SOLES Harald E. Lonngren, New York, N. Y.

Application September 21, 1948, Serial No. 50,280

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a means to straighten men's shoe soles after wearing. More particularly my invention relates to a shoe sole straightening device which is attached to the shoe sole externally along portions of its protruding edges.

The tendency of men's walking shoes to deform after a day's wear is chiefly due to stretching of the sole proper as the weight of the body exerts a, bending action upon the sole while walking. The ability of the leather material to withstand this action is lessened when it becomes moist from damp feet or otherwise. Oftentimes the leather becomes so stretched that when the shoes are removedafter a day's wear the subsequent drying causes the sole to warp.

Presently this warping is prevented by means of so-called shoe trees which are inserted into the shoe and wedged in place. Most types of such shoe trees hinder air from drying up the interior of the shoe. The top leather is also unduly stretched due to the wedging action and it is not uncommon that the canvas lining suffers a permanent deformation which causes undesirable wrinkles to form when the top leather contracts more readily after the shoe tree tension is released.

One object of my invention is to restraighten the shoe sole and to prevent it from warping by external means removably attached to the sole itself along portions of its protruding edge.

Another object of my invention is to effect straightening of walking shoe soles by external means which when applied permit air to freely ventilate and dry the shoe particularly the underside of the sole.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a shoe sole straightening device of the external type by means of which the shoe sole is straightened without unduly stretching the canvas lining or the top leather of the shoe.

A further object of my invention is to provide an external shoe sole straightening device which i automatically attachable to the shoe sole before the shoe is removed from the foot.

A still further object or objects of my invention is to provide an external shoe sole straightening device which is light in weight and may be used for several shoe sizes irrespective of the width of the shoe;

I appreciate that the prior art contains numerous patents which relate to means for straightening walking shoe soles. Insofar as I am aware, however, they all comprise internal means of the so-called shoe tree type which must be inserted into the shoe and wedged in place by hand. T

know of no disclosure of external means which anticipate the real substance of my invention. An outstanding advantage of my invention resides in the effective airing and drying of the shoe which is made possible when air currents also strike the underside of the shoe sole. This represents an advance in the art because only when the drying air has complete and free access to the whole shoe as such can an expeditious reshaping of the shoe take place. An important feature of my invention resides in the automatic application of my device which obviates the necessity of manually operating any kind of a mechanical tightening feature.

My invention is fully disclosed in this specification and claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. I represents a side elevational view of my shoe sole straightening device fitted to a shoe. My invention comprises a device which consists of two parts, a clamp, shaped substantially in the form of a U, and a locking member slidably fitted on the clamp, both of which parts are attached to the shoe sole along portions of its protruding edges. Fig. II is a plan view of the device itself. Fig. III is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Fig. I showing the locking member in its applied position.

Referring in detail to Fig. I, a shoe sole is straightened by inserting the sole tip into a lip 2 disposed at the bent portion of a U-shaped clamp 3 and by pressing the shoe down against the clamp. The shoe is automatically anchored to r the straightening clamp by a locking member 4 mounted thereon as the spring steel shackle portions 5, 5 of said locking member cause hooks 6, 6 to grab hold of the protruding edge of the shoe sole. When the shoe is pressed between the shackles these spread apart until the shoe sole has passed over the hooks at which moment the counteracting spring force snaps them back and thus locks the shoe in position as it will clearly appear from Fig. III. Shackles 5, 5 are so shaped that they can conveniently be spread apart by hand when the straightening device is to be removed. The locking member 4' as such consists of a rectangular sleeve onto the short sides of which the shackle portions 5, 5 are fastened. The sleeve itself is slidably fitted over the U- branches of the straightening clamp 3 in such a manner that the outward spring action of the U-branches anchors it in a desired position to suit a certain size shoe. The height of the straightening bar is somewhat lower at the heel end portion so as to prevent the heel from touching it before the locking member grabs hold 01 the shoe sole. Positive locking is thereby insured for varying thicknesses of the sole and heights of the heel. Physical strength is added to the straightening bar by flanges 1, I and corrugation 8. A multiplicity of holes 9 are punched into the web of the straightening bar so as to permit ventilating and drying air to strike the underside of the sole.

It is understood that various modifications of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and that said invention is not limited to the precise details enumerated herein but is to be construed as broadly as the appended claim will permit.

What I claim is:

In a shoe sole straightening device of the externally attachable type, a substantially U -shaped straightening frame or'bar having a spring action 2 in its bent portion in the plane thereof, a lip formed integrally on the said bar at the bent portion thereof adapted to serve as a fixed anchorage for the tip of the shoe sole, a multiplicity 4 of holes in the web portion of the U-branches through which ventilating and drying air passes so as to strike the underside of the shoe sole, a rectangular sleevelike locking member slidably mounted on the U-branches of the straightening bar and held in a desired position by virtue of the spring action in the bent portion of said bar, flexible shackles fastened in a substantially vertical position to the sides of said locking member, said shackles being provided with hooks and outwardly diverging portions adapted to spread apart when the shoe is inserted between them and automatically spring back and firmly grab hold of the shoe sole edge when this edge has passed over the hooks in said shackles.

HARALD E. LONNGREN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

